


Play it Again

by Jazz020



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Batfamily (DCU), Batfamily Fluff, Pianist Tim Drake, Violinist Damian Wayne
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-19 01:09:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29618295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jazz020/pseuds/Jazz020
Summary: The manor feels too quiet without music.
Relationships: Tim Drake & Damian Wayne
Comments: 10
Kudos: 129





	Play it Again

**Author's Note:**

> There might be some changes later

The cave was quiet. Damian was training, silently attacking a practice dummy, while his father typed away at the computer. Things were still. . . tense between them. They were still getting used to each other, still learning to trust each other. Bruce had been lost in time when Damian had become Robin and he was still conflicted about how the previous Robin had been displaced. To make the situation more awkward, Bruce and Alfred had finally convinced Tim to visit the manor. It had been months since Tim got Bruce back to the correct time, and yet Bruce had barely seen his third son. 

The boys still weren't on good terms. Damian still tried to start something with Tim every chance he got. He refused to admit that Tim had earned his begrudging respect after facing off with the Demon Head and bringing Bruce back. Tim had proved himself and to Damian, that made him even more dangerous. Tim saw this and put in great efforts to avoid being alone, or even in the same room, with him. 

Dick’s relationship with Tim was still strained as well. Tim had a hard time focusing on anything but the “but” in Dick’s apologies. 

“I'm sorry but I couldn't let myself hope again.” 

“I'm sorry, you were right, but there was a body, Tim. We had a funeral.”

“I'm sorry, but Damian needed Robin more. . .”

There was clearly still bitterness and hurt there. Trust had been broken and Dick didn't know how to fix it. Tim never came to him, to anyone, actually, for help on cases anymore, always opting to work independently. He always came when he was asked to help with something by the rest of the family, but they never got the chance to return the favor because Tim refused to call. 

Bruce hated that and constantly worried. He knew Tim was entirely capable of working alone, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Tim had been the one who insisted that Batman needing a partner, someone to watch his back, and now Red Robin was going off on his own. Fighting on his own. Getting into ridiculously dangerous situations on his own. At this point, Bruce wasn't entirely sure that Tim would call them even if he really was in trouble (by Tim’s ridiculous standards). Well, maybe he would call Cass. Tim seemed to trust her more than anyone else in the family. Or maybe even Jason. Bruce had been surprised to see that the two boys had become friendly with each other in his time away. 

Regardless, Bruce was happy to have Tim home. It had been a struggle to get him there. Tim was spending all of his time with the Titans now that Kon and Bart had come back. Trying to get Tim to leave them, trying to get them to _let_ Tim leave them, was much harder than Bruce ever expected. He had been threatened, on multiple occasions, that he better take care of Tim and not let anything happen to him or else Bruce would have the full forces of Superboy, Wonder Girl, and Impulse raging against him. That seems fair.

But Tim was home, and Damian had noted that his fathers mood had gotten better. He ignored his jealousy at the fact that Drake had been the one to improve it. His father was still giving him attention and training with him, so Damian accepted Tim’s victory. 

Damian accidentally decapitated the practice dummy when Dick crashed through the cave entrance. 

“Bruce!” He called, stumbling down the stairs. He stopped at the bottom step, leaning forward to try to catch his breath. “Bruce.”

“Dick, what is it? What's wrong?” Bruce turned his chair to face his eldest son. 

“It's Tim,” Dick breathed. Damian watched as his father tensed up. Something was wrong with Drake? What else was new? He always seemed to be causing Father to worry somehow. To their surprise, when Dick lifted his face he was grinning. “He's playing.”

“He-” It took his father a second to process before he was jumping out of his seat and running towards the stairs. Damian watched curiously as the two men tripped over each other trying to get back up to the manor as fast as they could. If his father and brother were reacting like this to whatever Drake was doing then Damian must go investigate as well. 

Damian walked back up to the manor. Exiting his father’s study he heard ragtime piano. Damian followed the sound, placing the song as Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer". He found his father and brother in the sitting room next to the music room. They sat on the couch smiling at each other while Alfred stood in the doorway, a fond smile on his face as well. 

Damian entered, taking the armchair next to Dick. 

“I didn't know Drake played piano.” Bruce’s smile turned a little sad. 

“It's been a while since I’ve heard him play, but he used to play all the time. Whenever he was happy or sad or just needed to think.” 

“He was alone a lot as a kid so he threw himself into piano to pass the time,” Dick added sadly. Damian didn't know that, though, really, he didn't know much of anything about Tim. They paused as the song ended and Tim jumped right into "Maple Leaf Rag". 

"Master Tim hasn't been staying here long enough lately to want to use the music room, but he has a keyboard in his apartment and there is a grand piano at Titans Tower that I am certain he makes use of," Alfred said, swaying slightly to the music.

“Why are we listening in here?” He asked. He had been wondering that since he walked in. They weren't _in_ the music room, they were _next door_ to the music room. 

“He doesn't like to be interrupted,” Dick said. “If we go in he’ll either stop or cut his session short.”

Damian huffed. That was unfair. He wanted to watch, to look through the music, but if Richard, and Father, and even Alfred weren't allowed to interrupt then there was no way that Damian would be allowed in.

“Maple Leaf Rag” ended and there was another pause, this one longer than between the last two songs. Then Tim started his next piece. 

Damian jumped at the sudden change in mood and Dick and Bruce chuckled at his reaction.

“He started thinking about a case,” Bruce explained. 

“What was he doing before?”

“Warming up,” Dick grinned. 

“On Joplin?” Damian frowned. Tim had played both songs well, clearly with practiced hands. It was no surprise that he had the ability to play something faster but as far as Damian knew, people didn’t generally choose one of jazz’s subcategories to warm up on unless they were going to continue with the genre. 

This was not ragtime. Damian closed his eyes trying to place the piece. He had definitely heard it before. In the league, his violin instructor had also played the piano. Oftentimes she would play before and after his lessons. Yes, he knew this one, Chopin’s “Étude Op. 25, No. 11 in A minor, Winter Wind”.

This was harsher than the other pieces. Faster and more dramatic. Damian kept his eyes closed and leaned forward slightly. This was impressive. The piece was filled with semiquaver-tuplets and notes that sounded like they would provide a challenging stretch for the hand. 

The music stopped. Why did it stop? The song wasn’t over yet! Bruce sighed and stood up. Dick and Damian followed him, walking just one door down to the music room. They peeked into the room. Tim sat sideways on the piano bench, laptop open in front of him. The Joplin book was still on the piano. Had he been playing Chopin from memory? 

“Tim?” Bruce said, stepping into the room. 

“Hey B,” Tim finished typing a sentence before looking up. “What's up? Do you need something?”

“No,” Bruce said, crossing the room to sit in one of the chairs across from Tim. “I just wanted to see how you're doing.”

“I'm fine,” Tim shrugged. “I'm almost done with the Bryerson case.”

“That's good,” Bruce nodded. Tim continued typing but stopped again soon after, noticing that his three family members were still watching him. 

“Are you sure nothings wrong?” 

“No, there's nothing wrong-”

“You didn't finish,” Damian interrupted. The others turned to him. 

“What?” Tim asked. 

“You didn't finish the piece. You have to finish it.” Tim frowned. 

“I had a breakthrough in the case. I didn't need to finish it. 

“You do,” Damian insisted, trying to search for a reason better than ‘because I want you to’. “You should always complete a piece unless you're dying or all of your fingers fall off. Start over. Play it again and finish it this time.”

That's what Mother and his teacher had told him. Always finish the piece, especially when you had an audience. Drake might not have had an audience in the room but the whole house could hear him playing and that was enough for Damian to push. They were all staring at him now. Dick and Bruce both looked like they were trying not to smile. Tim just sighed. 

“I'm glad you liked it, Damian, but I have actual work to do now.” Tim stood up and closed his computer. He walked towards the door but paused before leaving. He glanced back at them. 

“I’ll play again later,” He said hesitantly. Damian glared at his back as he left but Dick and Bruce were both smiling.

*****

Tim was playing when Damian got home from school the next day. It was a nice day. The windows of the manor were open so the music could be heard even outside. Damian walked to the music room, curious about what Tim was playing. It was some pop song. Damian didn't have much experience with the genre. He only knew whatever Dick had subjected him to in the car. 

When he reached the music room he saw that Tim wasn't alone today. Jason was sitting in one of the chairs, his legs thrown over the arm and a book in his lap. He was humming along to the song, singing a line or two every once in a while. Whenever he made eye contact with Tim they would both grin and he’d sing a line louder. 

Damian was surprised. Jason could actually sing. He and Tim sounded good together and the room felt... joyful. More joyful than the music room at the league had ever felt. Damian couldn't stop the smile that came to his face. 

He walked in and sat in front of the coffee table next to Jason and pulled out his homework. Tim and Jason glanced at him but didn't stop. It was nice and Damian found himself more comfortable than he had ever been with his two middle brothers. 

They chose some softer slower songs next. It was easier to focus with these songs and Damian suspected that the older boys had made the switch for his sake. A peaceful atmosphere overtook the room. Jason sang the melody in a low smooth voice and Tim gently played the accompaniment and occasionally plucked out an upper harmony. 

The peace didn't last long, however, once Dick entered the room. He carried a buzz of energy that conflicted with the song Tim and Jason had just finished. So instead, Tim jumped into “Dancing Queen”, earning a grin from Dick and an eye roll from Jason. That didn't stop him from joining in though. Dick danced around the room, pulling Damian up to dance with him. Damian tried to smother a laugh while Jason got up to join them. 

If anyone noticed Bruce and Alfred standing in the doorway with their cameras they didn't say anything. 

It was a good day.

*****

Damian was starting to understand how Tim’s mood and the mood around the house affected the music he would play. When he was happy he would usually play ragtime. When he was working on a case it was some technical piece that he had memorized. Whenever Jason came over Tim would play something upbeat, usually show tunes, sometimes pop. Whenever Dick seemed stressed Tim would try to cheer him up with a disco song. More times than not it resulted in Dick forcing Damian to dance with him. 

Tim always played sonatas when he was upset. Slow and quiet. They always filled the manor with a mournful feeling that would always be followed by either silence or something a little more cheerful. 

Damian appreciated that he now had a guide to Tim’s emotions. It helped them get along better. Damian was more relaxed and he was pleased with the fact that listening to the piano was becoming a part of his daily routine.

*****

“How do you do that?” Tim had just finished Bach’s “Solfeggietto” and was now scribbling something down in his case notes. Damian had taken to sitting in the music room, sketching, or reading, or working, but always waiting for Tim to play.

“What.” He asked, looking up at Damian. 

“Play a piece like that from memory. You did it the other day with the Bryerson case too.”

“Oh,” Tim paused, twirling his pen between his fingers. “My mom used to have me do competitions. I memorized for those and I guess they just stuck with me. They're my go to's for working so I practice them enough. Though, they would probably sound better if I had the sheet music in front of me. I always had a hard time remembering the correct phrasing.” 

Damian frowned. He had enjoyed the phrasing. Perhaps it wasn't exactly what was originally written, but Tim’s own choices were still excellent. He had a good ear. That could not be denied. 

“You don't compete anymore,” Damian observed.

“No,” Tim said, stopping his twirling pen. He was quiet for a minute. “The only time my mom would listen to me play was at competitions. I wanted to do well and impress her but I always ended up getting too stressed and never did as well as I should have. She stopped showing up after a while, so I stopped competing.”

Tim was frowning now and Damian had a sinking feeling, realizing he had poked at a bad memory. 

Tim played a sonata next. 

*****

It was Tuesday when the music stopped. On Monday night Damian and Tim argued a lot on patrol. It was almost a full-blown fight by the time they got back to the cave. Dick had sent Damian off to bed so he didn't really know what happened after that, but from what he could tell, sending him away hadn't stopped a fight from happening. 

By the time Damian had woken up that morning for school Tim was already gone. According to Alfred, he had left for work around 5. Damian wondered how that had been allowed, considering they only got home at 3 that morning. 

Breakfast was quiet for the most part. Dick was tense and didn't seem to be eating much. Bruce kept glancing warily at his phone that was buzzing non-stop beside him. When Damian leaned over to peak at it he saw a plethora of incoming texts and threats from Impulse, Superboy, and Wonder Girl. Apparently, news had gotten around that Tim was upset. 

Dicks phone buzzed a minute later and after reading the text he put his head in his hands and groaned. 

“Richard?”

“I upset Tim so now Bart is pissed at me and he’s harassing Wally about it so now he's mad at me too,” Dick mumbles, putting his head on the table. 

Damian had expected a sonata that night but it never came. It didn't come for the night after that either. 

*****

“Father, why is Timothy not playing anymore?” Damian was annoyed. He had grown used to hearing the piano for at least an hour a day. When Tim stopped playing after his fight with Dick, Damian had accepted that. For the first day, at least, but it was now Saturday. The manor was far too quiet without the piano Damian was growing annoyed. Bruce hesitated before he answered. 

“Tim doesn't like to play while he’s upset.”

“That is not true,” Damian said. “Timothy plays slow sonatas when he is upset.”

“When he’s sad or feeling down about something, you're right, he does,” Bruce nodded. “But he doesn't play when he’s angry.”

“Oh,” Damian frowned, thinking about the statement. “So it's a punishment.”

“Well, no, not really,” His father winced. “Although it does feel like that sometimes. Tim told me once that he doesn't want to associate the piano with anger. That he can play when he’s sad and put all of his emotion into a piece and he’ll feel better after, but if he does it when he’s angry it doesn't help. He just feels worse after for taking his frustration out on an instrument that did nothing to deserve it. He told me he’d rather just punch bad guys in the face instead.” Bruce had a fond smile on his face now. “He was only twelve at the time but I think it still holds true.”

“If he is angry then you must fix it, father. He got us used to hearing music each day and now the manor is too quiet. Fix it. Please.” 

“I would if I could, but I'm not the one he's angry with.” Damian stared at his father before understanding struck. He ran out of the office and down the hall. 

“RICHARD!”

*****

Damian woke up at 3:30 am on Sunday. The low notes of Moonlight Sonata were drifting through the manor. He stared at his ceiling and listened. It was slow and lilting. Sad. Lonely. The sound echoed through the house as Damian stood up. Straightening out his pjs, he exited his bedroom and made his way to the music room. 

Tim was there, back to the door as he continued to play on. He didn't seem to notice Damian, even when he was standing right next to him. Tim only startled once Damian snatched the music off of it's stand, not that he really needed it. To Damian it looked like Tim had been staring through the music rather than at it. Still, Damian's action had caused Tim to hit a wrong note in his surprise and immediately stop playing. He stared up at the younger boy, wide eyed. 

“Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you,” Tim said, hesitantly. Damian just scowled at him before looking at the music. He then turned to the shelves holding the rest of the family’s music. He pulled out the Kreisler books and flipped to “Liebeslied”. He placed the piano book in front of Tim and crossed his arms. 

“Play.”

“What?” Tim stared at him, then turned to the music. “Damian, this is a duet.”

“Play it.” Tim sighed, stretching his fingers as he scanned the page. Damian waited for him to play the first few measures before he stalked out of the room and made his way back to his room. Pulling out his violin, Damian warmed up, tuning before running through some fast scales. 

He trotted back to the music room, being sure to give Tim time to finish the song. If Damian wanted proper accompaniment then it was only fair to allow the pianist an opportunity to see the piece first. 

He entered the room again just as Tim hit the last note. Tim watched him as he stood next to the piano, placing his own music book on its stand. Damian readied his bow before glancing at Tim. 

“Play it again.”

**Author's Note:**

> Not gonna lie, my knowledge on music, especially piano, is limited at best. If anyone with some actual musical knowledge has any advice for how to improve this, please let me know.  
> But still, I like the idea of Tim and Damian bonding over music
> 
> Bart, Cassie, and Kon do not give a f*ck that Bruce is Batman. They'll fight 100 Batmans is it means Tim will be happy. That's what I call true friendship


End file.
